Chain Drugs Stores Urge E-Prescriptions

Three U.S. senators received a letter today thanking them for their leadership in encouraging the adoption of electronic prescriptions.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) wrote to senators John Kerry (D-MA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Ensign (R-NV), telling them, “A paperless prescribing system is preferable because it adds new dimensions of safety and efficiency to current practice.”

Steven C. Anderson, president and CEO of NACDS, told the senators that “physicians generally have not been as enthusiastic about the adoption of e-prescribing technology into their practice as pharmacies and pharmacists.”

And he said that he hopes that incentives, such as those provided in the soon-to-be introduced Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection (E-MEDS) Act, will provide physicians with the necessary resources to move them to adopt the technology.

NACDS supports e-prescribing as a way to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of the overall prescribing process.